Teaching and Learning Department

The Teaching and Learning Department provides leadership to educational programs and professional learning for teachers and administrators. We provide leadership for curriculum; assessment; instructional practices; teacher, school and district performance; continuous improvement; career-technical education; federal grants; the Ohio Improvement Process; Parent Curriculum Advisory Council; STEM programming; service learning; and professional development.

As we strive to personalize learning for every student, our staff members oversee intervention and enrichment services including summer academic intervention, credit recovery and new credit, response to intervention programs, College Credit Plus, advanced placement, global scholars, gifted education, and services for English Learners.

We recognize the need to prepare students for a changing, competitive, global workplace and are providing opportunities that reach beyond the boundaries of our schools through STEM programming, partnerships with business and industry, college coursework and service learning.

The Teaching & Learning Team

Sharon Caccimelio

Executive Director of Teaching & Learning

614.920.6192

sharon_caccimelio@plsd.us

Julie Novel

Teaching & Learning Coordinator II

614.920.6191

julie_novel@plsd.us

Andrea Baldwin

Coordinator Teaching & Learning Department

614.920.6195

andrea_baldwin@plsd.us

Maggie Buckley

Coordinator Teaching & Learning Department

614.920.6194

maggie_buckley@plsd.us

Brooke Incorvaia

Coordinator Teaching & Learning Department (Gr. 5 & 6)

614.833.2110

brooke_incorvaia@plsd.us

Erik Barbon

English Language Coordinator

614.920.6196

erik_barbon@plsd.us

Todd Stanley

Gifted Coordinator

614.920.6197

todd_stanley@plsd.us

Dean Sabetta

College Credit Plus Advisor

614-548-1815

dean_sabetta@plsd.us

Juanita Lemke

Administrative Secretary

614.920.6191

juanita_lemke@plsd.us

Tonya Nuss

Administrative Secretary Teaching & Learning Dept.

614.920.6192

tonya_nuss@plsd.us

State Standards

The State Board of Education adopted Ohio’s Learning Standards in English language arts and mathematics, the results of a multi-state effort. The board also has adopted Ohio’s Learning Standards in science, social studies, fine arts, world languages, and several other subjects.

These more rigorous standards, geared to college and career readiness, were implemented in Ohio classrooms starting in 2014.

Ohio’s Learning Standards for English language arts include standards for use in English language arts courses, as well as literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. The standards for English language arts describe expertise that students will develop in the areas of reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language. The standards also describe how students use and strengthen these skills—particularly reading and writing—in other subjects at their grade level.

Key Features of the Standards

Reading:Text complexity and growth of comprehension

The reading standards place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what students read and the skill with which they read.

Writing: Test types, responding to reading, and research

The writing standards apply to many types of writing: arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.

Speaking and listening: Flexible communication and collaboration

The speaking and listening standards require students to develop a range of broadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills.

Language: Conventions (grammar), effective use, and vocabulary

The language standards include the essential “rules” of standard written and spoken English.

Ohio’s Learning Standards for mathematics include two types of standards: one for mathematical practice (how students are able to apply and extend math principles) and one for mathematical content (what students know about math). The two are linked together while students are learning.

The Parents’ Guides to Student Success were developed by teachers, parents and education experts in response to the Common Core State Standards that many states have adopted.

Created for Kindergarten through high school English language arts/literacy and mathematics, the guides provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared for college and career.

The guides include:

Key items children should be learning in English language arts and mathematics in each grade, once Common Core Standards are fully implemented.

Activities that parents can do at home to support their child’s learning.

Methods for helping parents build stronger relationships with their child’s

Standards-Based Education

Pickerington Schools are committed to the academic growth of all students. A key component of meeting this commitment is the accurate communication of student learning. Every state has outlined expectations for what students should know, understand, and be able to do. These expectations are called standards.

Student learning in grades K-5 is evaluated and reported relative to these standards. In a standards-based system, the goal is to provide accurate information about a student’s level of understanding of the standards. To do this, teachers will focus on student understanding or competency rather than the number of answers that were correct or incorrect.

In a standards-based system, it is no longer sufficient to use the symbols A, B, C, D, F to communicate learning. The grading symbol – called a Performance Score (mark) – provides a clear and specific description of student academic performance.

Reporting student mastery of standards changes the question from, “What’s the average of the student’s work?” to “What does the student understand?”

While letter grades are familiar to parents, they only give limited information about what a student has learned. Averaging traditional grades does not necessarily present an accurate picture of the learning that a student has achieved. When using letter grades, the grades are averaged and do not necessarily reflect what a student has mastered in a particular area for the “final learning.”

Learning will be reported based on evidence of what a student understands and can do at particular points in time rather than an average over a reporting period.

Performance scores are based on a student’s academic achievement and do not include effort, attitude, or work habits.

Performance scores reflect the quality of student understanding, rather than the quantity of points accumulated.

Practice

Students master standards through instruction and practice. Student practice can be done in a group or independently.

Practice is not used to measure a student’s mastery of the standards, but rather to give students time to develop understanding before understanding is measured. When your child talks about practice or brings home a paper with “Practice” written at the top, it means the student completed the task and the teacher has reviewed the work.

Evidence

After providing opportunities to practice, teachers will measure, or gather evidence on, each student’s level of understanding or mastery of the material taught. Evidence may be an assignment, a test, a center activity, or a one-on-one discussion.

Evidence of student learning is collected at the standard level and reported on the standards-based report card by standard. The performance score (mark) – indicated by an M, P, L, N – provides accurate information about students’ levels of understanding of the standard.

The following are the descriptions for the Performance Scores (Marks):

(M) Mastery means that your child is meeting the year-end grade level standard and may be ready to work at greater depth. The student can consistently apply their learning to new situations with accuracy and quality. The student’s work demonstrates a solid knowledge of grade level concepts and skills as described in the standards. If the student reaches mastery of the standard, the teacher will continue to provide opportunities for your child to explore subjects at greater levels of depth and complexity.

(P) Progressing toward mastery means that your child is making expected progress toward meeting the year-end grade level standards. The student’s work demonstrates consistent growth of knowledge toward grade level concepts and skills as described in the standards. Performance is characterized by the student’s developing ability to understand and apply key grade level concepts, processes and skills.

(L) Less than expected progress means that your child is making less than expected progress toward meeting end of year standards with increased support. The student’s work does not demonstrate knowledge of grade level concepts and skills as described in the standards. Performance is characterized by the student’s ability to understand and apply concepts, processes and skills one or more years below grade level. Interventions will be used to support the student in progressing toward grade level standards.

(N) No Progress means that your child is making no progress toward meeting end of year grade level standards with extensive support. The students’ work provided no evidence of growth toward expected grade level concepts and skills as described in the standards. Extensive interventions will be used to support the student on grade level standards.

By accurately reporting student learning in relationship to instruction with each standard, the instructional needs of students can be better identified. Meeting these needs allows students to grow academically and be prepared to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

The Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) are the link between Ohio’s Learning Standards and performance standards.

They were developed by Ohio educators and other content experts to illustrate the typical demonstration of the learning for each of the five performance levels: Limited, Basic, Proficient, Accelerated and Advanced.

Teachers can review the PLDs for each course to match each descriptive statement with its course standards. Teachers can then review local curriculum materials to see if opportunities are being given to students to demonstrate deeper conceptual understanding of course content at the different performance levels.

Curriculum Liaison Council

Ohio House Bill 487 requires that districts create a parent advisory committee of some other method of providing feedback to the district on curriculum issues as a way of improving communication and expanding representation in the process.